A story which has been told by a long succession of literary and musical works. But this painting is almost the only one to depict it visually.
Bastien-Lepage
An independent pioneer of ‘social realism’, his densely-populated landscapes showed real people struggling to live in the north French countryside.
Gardens aren’t just for flowers, and paintings of vegetable gardens can be just as good art as the most resplendent roses.
He died a century ago, a succession of brilliant and very successful paintings behind him. First of two parts in retrospect.
A look back at some of the series and some surprises which you might have missed over the last year.
One of the greatest German painters, he covered several genres and has proved very influential. The start of a broad and more balanced view of his work.
Elected the first woman Associate of the Royal Academy since it was founded, she had a very individual style, with a unique visual richness.
She claimed to be the master of the urban landscape, to complement Bastien-Lepage’s mastery of the countryside.
Even the usually vituperative critic Roger Fry was forced to admit his importance to Monet and most other artists of the day.
No other artist was so influential on the last 25 years of painting in the 19th century, although he died when only 36.
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